By special request (Yarntangler forced it out of me), here's the recipe for my favorite soup at Olive Garden, Zuppa Toscana. I believe I got the recipe years ago from the Food section of the Oregonian newspaper. Anyway, it's easy and delicious, so enjoy.
Zuppa Toscana (Olive Garden)
¾ pound spicy Italian link sausage (about 3 links)
1 slice bacon, diced
¾ cup diced onion
1 ¼ tsp minced garlic
2 medium potatoes, peeled
2 Tbsp chicken broth
4 cups water
2 cups kale
1/3 cup whipping cream or undiluted evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste
Place the sausages on a baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes, until juices run clear when pricked with a fork. Let cool; cut in half lengthwise and than on an angle into ½ inch slices. Set aside.
In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the bacon until limp. Add the onion and continue cooking until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and continue to cook one minute more.
Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and then slice into ¼ inch slices. Add the potatoes to the onions along with the chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Cut the kale in half and remove any tough stems. Slice into very thin strips. Add kale and sausage to the soup and simmer 5 minutes more. Stir in the cream (milk) and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Chris
8 comments:
Oh Yes! That's on the menu this coming week. Even in hot Tucson a satisfying soup like that is a perfect supper!
You really are SWEET!
I had the rest for breakfast this morning. Next on the agenda is homemade cinnamon rolls. We went to the Farmer's Market and they had ONE roll for $2.50. We're going to have a lot.
http://seriouslygood.kdweeks.com/2005/09/cinnamon-buns.html
Here's a link to my favorite cinnamon roll recipe of all times.
Chuck
Cjuck, my mouth is watering. However, the link took me to only a page with pictures - no recipe.
Sorry about that. It was an older entry into Kevin's blog. Here's the recipe as I saved it into MS Word.
Cinnamon Rolls
Makes 8 rolls.
Ingredient | US Volume | Metric Volume | US Weight | Metric Weight
Dough:
all-purpose flour 4 1/2 c | 1060 ml | 23 oz | 630 g
quick yeast 2 1/4 tsp | 12 ml | 1/4 oz | 7 g
milk 1 c | 235 ml | 8 oz | 225 g
unsalted butter 1/3 cup | 80 ml | 2 3/4 oz | 80 g
granulated sugar 1/3 cup | 80 ml | 2 3/4 oz | 80 g
salt 1/2 tsp | 2.5 ml | -- | --
eggs 3 large
Filling:
light brown sugar 3/4 c | 175 ml | 5 5/8 oz | 160 g
all-purpose flour 1/4 c | 60 ml | 1 1/4 oz | 3 g
ground cinnamon 1 tbsp | 15 ml | -- | --
unsalted cold butter, cut into pieces 1/2 c | 117 ml | 4 oz | 113 g
half & half 1 tbsp | 15 ml | -- | --
Glaze:
powdered sugar 1/2 cup | 117 ml | 2 oz | 58 g
half & half 1 tbsp | 15 ml | -- | --
Dough:
Heat milk, butter, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan to about 120F (50C), stirring steadily.
Combine half the flour (2 1/4 cups | 530 ml | 11.5 oz | 315 g) and all of the yeast in a bowl. Gradually stir in the milk mixture then beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Make sure all these ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
Mix and then knead in remaining flour. You’re shooting for a soft, smooth, and elastic dough but it shouldn't be sticky, you may need to add some additional flour.
Shape into a ball and place seam-side down in a greased bowl. Spritz the top of the ball with cooking spray and cover bowl with plastic. Let rise until doubled in bulk — 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
Deflate the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface, cover with a clean towel, and let rest for 10 minutes.
Filling:
Mix together the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a bowl and cut in the butter with a pastry knife
Roll the dough out into a 12 inch (30 cm) square. Sprinkle the filling evenly over the rolled out dough and roll the dough into a log, pinching the edges to seal. Slice the log into eight equal-sized pieces and arrange in a greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch (33 x 23 x 5 cm) baking pan.
Cover dough loosely with clear plastic wrap, leaving room for rolls to rise.
At this point you can refrigerate the dough for anywhere from 2 to 24 hours. If overnight, allow the rolls to sit out for 20 minutes, then refrigerate. The next morning remove the rolls from the refrigerator, take off the plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
If you are making the cinnamon rolls immediately, don’t chill dough. Instead, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let dough rise in a warm place till nearly double, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Heat the oven to 375F (190C) and brush rolls with half & half. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until golden brown.
Glaze:
In a medium-sized bowl stir together the powdered sugar and half & half. The glaze should be thin enough to drizzle over the rolls.
Yummmmm!!!!! Thank you.
I should add: Cinnamon Rolls are a right now thing. They have zero shelf life.
I make the dough the night before, let it rise for the hour and a half, then roll out and smear the filling on. Then roll and cut to size and let them rise in a pyrex baking dish overnight in the fridge.
In the morning take them out of the fridge about 30 mins before you put them in the oven so the temperature can stabilize. Twenty or so minutes later you can enjoy something better than even the finest bakeries can provide.
Chuck
This is another version of a breakfast bread. Think of Jelly Donuts to get the drift.
Bomboloni
Scant 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh compressed yeast
Scant 1/4 cup cold water
3 1/2 cups bread flour
4 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for coating
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
Vegetable or canola oil
Raspberry jam (or pastry cream)
Dissolve the yeast in a small bowl with the cold water. Place the flour, eggs, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until the ingredients are dispersed, about 5 seconds. Add the dissolved yeast and beat for about 2 minutes on medium-high speed, until the dough is well combined and holds together. Add the cubed butter and mix for another 5 to 7 minutes, until the dough no longer sticks to the side of the mixing bowl. If the dough is overly sticky, you may need to add about 1 tablespoon of flour. It is usually necessary to scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula to encourage the dough to form a ball and come away from the side. Remove the paddle and pat the dough into a ball at the bottom of the bowl. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes. The dough will rise slightly.Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and punch it down to remove the air. Spread it onto a lightly floured baking sheet with your fingers and flatten the dough until it is about 3/4-inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight. It will slightly proof.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface. Flatten it slightly with your hands. Cut the dough into circles with a 1 1/2-inch diameter cutter, keeping the cuts as close together as possible. Pat any leftover dough into a rectangle and cut more circles out of it. (At this stage, the Bombolini can be frozen for up to 1 week if well wrapped in plastic wrap. Allow the Bombolini to defrost in the refrigerator before proofing.)
Place the Bomboloni on a parchment covered baking sheet lightly sprayed with vegetable cooking spray. Space them 2 inches apart. Loosely cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap. Allow the Bomboloni to proof at room temperature for about 2 hours, until they have doubled in size and appear light and full of air.
Heat the oil about 15 minutes in an electric fryer or in a 4-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat to 320 degrees F. If using a saucepan, check the temperature with a candy thermometer. Fry 5 to 7 Bomboloni at one time, any more than that and the oil temperature will dip down too much and they will not fry evenly. Fry for a total of 3 to 5 minutes, until they are golden brown. Turn to evenly fry each side. As they fry, they will increase in size. Remove the Bomboloni with a large slotted spoon and set on a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
While the Bomboloni are still warm, roll them in a bowl filled with granulated sugar until evenly coated. If desired, fill the Bomboloni with a jam-filled pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip. Use a sharp paring knife to make a small hole on the bottom of each Bomboloni. Place the tip of the pastry bag in the hole and squeeze until the Bomboloni feels heavy. It is best to fill the Bomboloni while they are still warm and the dough soft and pliable. Serve immediately.
Chuck
Post a Comment